Kmart surprised by flash mob Friday

Saturday

Dec 22, 2012 at 1:45 PMDec 22, 2012 at 3:54 PM

Lois Westermeyer

Kmart employees and shoppers got some Christmas cheer when a flash mob entered the store Friday and performed a surprise Santa dance as a gift from fellow employees.Employee Trevor Ross of Pontiac organized the flash mob scene and choreographed the dance performed by Santa and two elves, with other mobsters later joining in the festivities.“Basically we wanted to surprise our managers and brighten the mood,” said Ross, who noted store employees have been saddened by the corporate decision to close the retail store, which has been in Pontiac more than 40 years.An employee called managers Jeff Richards, Scott Winkle and Ron Borderwick to the front of the store and when they arrived, Santa and his elves erupted from a side door and started dancing to “Gangnam Style,” a song by Korean artist Psy.“We wanted to do something to go out with a little bit of a bang,” Ross added.Ross said he began planning the event about two weeks ago and enlisted fellow employees Myles Rich and husband and wife team, Kyle and Kristine Fajardo, all of Pontiac, to participate in the dance.“We always wanted to be part of a mob,” laughed Kristine Fajardo after the performance, which lasted a couple of minutes to the surprise and delight of most in the store.An employee with the store for about 18 months, Ross said he started a secret Facebook page outlining Friday’s event and then used word of mouth to get family and friends to the store.Ross’ mother, Katrina Ross, was present and was among many videotaping the event.“I’m so proud of you, this was really neat,” she told him as she gave him a big hug.While much of the mob dissipated after the dance, a number of them hung around, laughing about the surprised looks on people’s faces when the action first began.“We needed some cheering up and I think this did that,” Ross said.The announced closing date of the store is Jan. 20.